Iago is a clever calculating villain. I found it ironic that in Othello, Iago was known as an honest person, when in reality he was anything but honest. Through my research, I was able to find out that Shakespearean’s definition of honest, and the definition of honest that we use today, are not the same thing. Today’s definition of honest implies that someone is truthful. In Shakespearean’s time however, it carried a completely different definition. An honest person was someone who gave the appearance

Iago, More than Just a Villain Iago, the evil villain of Shakespeare's Othello, is more than just a villain. In many ways he is the most intelligent and appealing character in the play. Iago shows superiority over the rest of the characters in the play. He has the ability to manipulate the characters in the play, therefore controlling the play with every sequence of events. His intelligence shines through his ability to deceive, his ability to strategize, and his ability to twist the truth. Iago

Honest Iago The poet Coleridge appropriately described the character of Iago as being one of "motiveless malignity." Throughout the play Iago’s motives are secondary to, and seem only to serve as justification for, his actions. Iago is driven by his nature of character. To discuss Coleridge’s assessment we must look at Iago’s character—from Iago’s point of view and that of the other characters—his motives, methods, and pawns. Through some carefully thought-out words and actions, Iago is able

Iago of "Othello" What makes a good villain? What qualities make one villain stand out from another? Is it their demeanor, ruthlessness, or the methods that they employ to accomplish their tasks? In any case, a great villain must leave the reader with a respect for their methods and a question about their motives. In Shakespeare's Othello, there is one character in Iago that fulfills all of these qualifications. Iago is a wonderful villain because he gains other's trust, relentlessly takes advantage

had gotten from an Italian short story, and developed them further. I would not say Shakespeare created Iago, but he definitely made Iago the evil man that everyone knows him to be. Iago may be one of the greatest villains of all time. He was honest, loyal, and brave in all of the other characters’ eyes. However, in reality he was a cruel, deceitful, immoral man. As with every great villain, Iago had to have been motivated by something. Although it is debatable, I believe the main motivation behind

Physiological View of Iago Throughout Shakespeare’s play, Othello, there has been ongoing debate and questioning on the topic of Iago’s mental state as he is characterized by a variety of poor qualities. The reader may criticize the play in a psychological manner as Iago exhibits traits of selfishness as well as misogyny. Together, these traits lead Iago to become the Machiavellian in the story due to his ability to exploit other characters flaws and use his wit and charm to deceive them in the

If I were to tell you that typing “famous selfish characters” into Google would produce a link to a Iago analysis, would you be surprised? English poet Samuel Coleridge might have had mixed feelings. He once described Iago as a motiveless malignity during a lecture given the winter of 1818. According to Coleridge, motive was not a factor in his actions but instead a natural instinct to commit evil acts. Shakespeare gives us clues to Iago’s perspective that instead explain those unseen motives as

Using diction, imagery and metaphor, and the three rhetorical appeals, Iago is able to fool Brabantio, Othello, and Roderigo, respectively, despite the epithet, “Honest Iago,” that he is given, all to reach the fulfillment of his vengeance towards Othello and destroy him. The play begins by exposing the reader to Iago’s evil intentions and plans to ruin Othello’s reputation. Act 1 introduces the reader to this aspect of Iago as he informs Brabantio of Othello and Desdemona’s elopement, through his

Iago, manipulative and complicated depicts the villain in the play Othello. He sucks the resources out of the characters in a non literal sense planting seeds in their mind allowing them grow by using lies and deceptions. Throughout the play he gradually gains more power through the cultivating of ideas in the characters minds within the play using what he has planted and going off that. Although, Iago didn’t plan his actions in a personal planner or a step by step table he did structure a strategic

Iago’s Subconscious Motive Iago, the antagonist of Shakespeare’s work, Othello, is often considered purely evil or sociopathic. At first glance, Iago appears to be a static, two-dimensional villain, but he is much more. Shakespeare, renown for his awareness of the human condition, leaves many important aspects of Iago’s life up to interpretation. In published works and critical interpretations, Iago is commonly attached to a myriad of mental illnesses and personality disorders. Because it seems that